


Don't Ever Let Go

by LadyKalan



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety Disorder, Bittersweet Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Love Triangles, M/M, Major Spoilers, Mental Health Issues, No Incest, Panic Attacks, Slow To Update, Spoilers, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, and a persona, and a thing for goro, but not really, i'm not taking any chances with that, she has a weird power, so akira has a twin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2018-10-30 03:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10868541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKalan/pseuds/LadyKalan
Summary: "We're twins," has always been the easiest way to explain why the two of us are stuck like glue. Akira and Shizuka, "bright" and "quiet", brother and sister. It only made sense. The real answer, is a little more complicated.





	1. Prologue

The moment Mother picked up the phone and looked at me, I knew our lives had just gotten infinitely more complicated. "Akira's been arrested," was a sentence I never thought I'd hear.

Time seemed to be set to fast-forward after that night, as one event after another shook our family to it's core. Again. The court ruled him guilty within one day. Even before the trial, our school decided to expel him. The lawyer negotiated a deal with the judge, so Akira didn't have to go to juvenile detention. But he did have to move hundreds of miles away for a one year probation. Begrudgingly, our parents accepted. Not that they really had any other choice. None of the other options were nearly as favorable. However, we all demanded on one condition to this arrangement: I had to go with him.

"We're twins," has always been the easiest way to explain why the two of us are stuck like glue. Akira and Shizuka, "bright" and "quiet", brother and sister. It only made sense. The real answer, is a _little_ more complicated. And a _lot_  more personal. Outside of our parents, Akira is the only person willing to protect me, and vise versa.

So with a flurry of apologies, and tears in their eyes, our parents saw both of us off at the train station. "Look after each other," our Father warned. "We always do," came the unified reply. We sat on that train for hours, murmuring reassurances, trading jokes, and fantasizing about the new school.

"No one there will talk about us."

"We can make a whole group of friends."

"I wonder if they have a music club."

"Think I should join a sport?"

By the time we got to the station, our excitement was threatening to bubble over. If only I knew how quickly that bubble would burst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a massive undertaking on my part. I don't know why I hurt myself like this. T_T  
> I'm basically going day-by-day throughout this game, to pick it apart, and plop in my OC. Essentially I am rewriting the full 90 hour game from a different point of view. If anyone wants to talk me out of my madness, I'd appreciate that.  
> I'd also appreciate it if someone would point out any spelling/grammar mistakes they find.  
> So yeah, welcome to my crazy, and I hope you enjoy!


	2. Day One

"Alright, so from Shibuya we have to transfer to-"

**Thud**

My navigating is cut short by bumping into Akira. I look past his shoulder, and can only gape at the crowd of people in front of us. "Whoa," we mutter. A beep from his phone has us both look down. A weird, red eye thing, pops up on his screen. "What the-" It gets bigger, covering the display. When Akira tries to move it, nothing happens. As in _nothing_  is happening. Because time itself stops around us.

In utter panic we turn in every direction, trying to make sense of our shared delusion. A mass of blue flames, from across the road, quickly catches our eyes. The flames appears to break into two figures, one with wings, the other holding a woodwind instrument. After what seems like minutes of staring, our faces reflect onto the flames. We gasp in shock, and in that moment time continues. "Bad sushi," is how we rationalize the phenomenon. The weird eye is still on Akira's phone when we look down. He deletes it immediately.

"A-anyway, we have to transfer to Yongen Jaya now."

. . .

From the station it is only a five minute walk to the address we had been emailed. When we ring the bell, however, there is no sign of anyone being home. "Did we get here early?" I recheck the time. "Oh, are you kids looking for Sojiro?" There is a deliveryman who has just pulled over, package under his arm. "He's usually at his cafe around this time. It's called Leblanc. You'll find it further in the back alleys." We give our thanks and start searching.

. . .

"Found it." I point out the red and white awning in the middle of the street. 'coffee & curry: Leblanc' We exchange a glance, Akira is clearly nervous. "Hey, we've gone through worse." After a deep breath, he nods, and opens the door.

The cafe instantly hits me with a sense of comfort. It is the type of place someone can lounge around in all day, and just ignore the outside world. The smell of spice is intense, but not in an overwhelming way, and it mixes nicely with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans. There is an elderly couple sitting at a booth, and a man wearing an apron reading the paper. His pink shirt and curled beard strike me as an odd contrast. As if he is a villian out of an old mystery novel. A TV in the back drones on about a bus incident.

"How frightening."

"What could be going on? Didn't something similar happen just the other day?"

"Vertical is... the name of a shellfish used for farming pearls..."

The puzzle solver in me can't contain herself. "A clam, or an oyster. How many letters are there?" The man snaps his head up at my words. I look away just as fast. From the corner of my eye, the man seems confused, like he knows he's forgotten something important. "... Oh, right. They did say that was today." He stands up and drops the newspaper on the counter.

The couple also stands up, pays for their meal, and excuses themselves. The man sighs once the door closes. "... Four hours for just a single cup of joe." He (tries) to look us dead in our eyes. "So, you're the twins? Akira and Shizuka, right?" I bow, Akira nods. "Please take care of us." The man smiles, or rather, smirks.

"I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody over the next year. I was wonder what kind of unruly kids would show up, but you're the ones, huh?" He goes on to explain how our parents decided he should be the one to look after us. "Follow me." He turns and walks over to the staircase behind the sink. We follow silently, not really sure what to expect.

The stairs takes us into a _very_ dusty attic. It is a large room, but there is trash, and books, and junk everywhere. In the corner is two beds, the other wall holds a couch. Right in the middle of the room is a large box with a dolphin on it: the few outfits we had sent over. "This is your room." At those words, I am highly tempted to look at Sojiro. So ready to convey my disbelief in that way only locking eyes can. "I'll at least give you sheets for your beds." I grab Akira's arm, and try to keep my head down. "Girl, you look like you want to say something." I shake my head, and shut my eyes. Akira speaks up for me, "it's cluttered."

"Yeah well, it's on you to clean up the rest." I squeeze his arm and fix my eyes on the lone plant in the room. "I'll be leaving after I lock up each day. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble." Akira nods, I bite the inside of my mouth. "Now then..." Sojiro goes over our situation again, as if to rub salt in the wound. "In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass." I let go of Akira's arm, drop my bag, and walk downstairs. 

"Hey, where are you-"

"Bathroom"

I lock the door, sit on the toliet seat, and _shake_.

I refuse to think about anything. I focus on the tremble of my fingers, the unevenness of my breath, the tapping of my foot. Feet go down the stairs, and straight passed me. Another set comes down, and knocks on the door. Four times fast, the last one after a long pause. Our special knock. I unlock the door. Akira comes in and quickly shuts it behind him. "Tell me I overreacted." He sighs. "No, I'm pretty sure we're just a burden to him." Tears well up in my eyes.

Akira takes my hand and massages it. My shaking stops slowly, and I manage to blink back my tears. "We've been here all of ten mintues. Ten goddamn _mintues,_ and it already feels like nothing has changed." I pull my hand away and we stand in silence, until the sound of dripping water becomes unbearable. "We should at least clean the room." I nod weakly.

. . .

As I dust, Akira explains what I missed. "Back to school already. If this is how Sojiro's treating us, imagine the faculty." With a hum Akira plunges the mop back into the water. "Well even so, there's no way the staff would tell anyone else what happened. I bet none of the students know anything." I look down at him. He truly believes his words. I decide to believe them too. "Yeah, we'll get a huge group of friends here."

We finish cleaning hours later. Sojiro comes upstairs once, compliments our work, then goes home. We get dressed for bed, lie down, and stare up at the ceiling.

"Shizuka."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think, I should have walked away?"

"Of course not."

"Glad someone else believes that."

We chuckle.

"How many friends are we going to make?"

"Hmm . . . Twenty, at least."

"I hope so."

I check the time on my phone. "What? Now I have that weird eye thing."

Akira pulls out his phone. "Ugh, me too." We both delete it. "Stupid spammers."

"Goodnight."

"G'night."

I listen for the sound of even breathing, and then whisper a prayer. "If any of you gods are real, don't let Akira suffer like I have."

Sleep over takes me a few minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter was super short, so here's a double! Also, consistency is now the ban of my existence.  
> I'll think I'll update every other day, until I run out of steam. It gives me time to gathers ideas, and keeps you from having to wait too long. I've already prewritten a few chapters, so I should update pretty frequently. Hopefully.  
> Again, if anyone finds spelling/grammar errors, do let me know.  
> Thanks for reading! ^_^


	3. A Room of Velvet and Chains

I awake to the sound of jingling. The room is still dark, so I ignore it and try to go back to sleep. "Shizuka?!"

I spring up from bed. The jingling continues, and the only way I stay calm is by assuring myself I'm in a nightmare. I'm shackled, and wearing a prison outfit. I'm sitting inside a cell. I see a little girl with braided hair outside the bars. I know I've gone crazy. The girl stands out of the way, and across the room I see Akira looking at me. There's a girl outside his cell as well, her hair is in buns.

"Akira?"

My eyes readjust, and I finally notice the desk in the middle of the room. There sits a bald man with a freakishly long nose. I've definitely gone crazy. The man looks at Akira, then at me. I instinctually put my head down. "Tricksters," he begins. His voice is almost comically deep. It resonates in my chest. "Welcome to my Velvet Room."

"So you've come to, Inmates," the girl with buns barks. Her voice has a nasally quality to it. I know I'll get annoyed with her quickly. She smiles cruelly. The girl with braids, clearly her twin, has a calm, almost bored expression. "Yourselves in reality are currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream."

"You're in the presence of our Master. Stand up straight!"

We look past the man at the desk, right at each other. Akira thinks this is real too. "Welcome," the booming voice commands our attention.

"I am delighted to make your acquaintances. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well. I summoned you two, to speak of important matters. It involves your lives as well."

I am left reeling from the environment, and the information being presented. Akira recovers first. "Important matters?"

As if he said nothing, this Igor keeps going.

"Still, this is a surprise..." The long nosed man looks around the prison. "The state of this room reflects the state of your hearts. To think a prison would appear as such. You both truly are 'prisoners' of fate." He chuckles. "Even more shocking is that both of you are currently present." He looks from Akira back to me. I can't bring myself to look him in the eye.

"Usually I would talk to you two separately, as the states of your hearts would, naturally, be different. I can only imagine what traumatic ordeal made you two grow so close, as to share one heart."

The incident from 6th grade flashes into my mind. I quickly push the memory back down, and take a very keen interest in the curves of Igor's desk. "In any case, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you both, in the near future."

I recover first this time. "Ruin?" I start to feel dizzy, and my legs go numb.

"I speak to the end of everything. However, there is a means to escape such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated.' Rehabilitated towards freedom... That is your only means to avoid ruin... Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of this world?"

We share a glance. Feeling dizzy, and somehow amused, we laugh. "We'd rather avoid ruin." Igor nods, "allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."

As if on cue, the twins turn to face us. Their synchronicity would be creepy, if Akira and I weren't just as in sync.

"Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. In front of Akira, Caroline. In front of Shizuka, Justine. They serve as wardens here."

"Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like."

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators. ... That is, if you remain obedient."

"I shall explain the role of these two at another occasion."

Again on cue, the twins turn away from us and face Igor.

"Now then, it seems the night is waning... It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually..."

Igor waves his hand and a bell goes off.

"Time's up." Caroline's barking startles me more than the ringing. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep."

Before I can say anything, my legs give out, and my vision goes black.

We jump out of our beds when we wake up. Sweat has beaded on Akira's forehead, and I am nearly panting. That dream was too vivid to be only a dream. Yet I can't help but smile at the absurdity of it. Akira smiles too, a nervous, slightly scared smile. We share a look, then burst out laughing, because of course we were thinking the same thing.

"Very bad sushi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double twin party! I think I can explore a new dynamic with the girls. Perhaps the Strength twins will take advice from the Fool(s)? (note to self, find a way to make Shizuka fit the arcana theme)  
> If anyone cares, I'll upload Shizuka's appearance along with the next chapter. I'm not done designing her Persona yet, but I do have a solid baseline to work with.  
> Again, if anyone finds spelling/grammar errors, do let me know.  
> Thanks for reading! ^_^


	4. Meet the Teacher Night

We dress in silence, too preoccupied with our own interpretations of our "dream," to consult with the other. When we finish we look at each other.

Akira decided to keep his uniform as vanilla as possible, to avoid standing out. My own uniform is only slightly modified. The skirt goes down to my knees, and my stocking are black with horizontal white stripes. Double thumbs up. We both look pretty good.

"So..."

I nod. We've thought the same thing. Whatever that Velvet Room is, it's something we need to take seriously.

Sojiro climbs the stairs. I busy myself by pulling my hair into the tightest bun I can. "Looks like you're up." He's put on a white fedora and jacket. On the inside I'm smiling, because he looks like a pimp. On the outside I keep a straight face. Something tells me he wouldn't appreciate me laughing at him.

"Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district. It'll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain. I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go." With a nervous glance, we stand up and follow Sojiro outside.

. . .

When we reach his car, he opens the passenger side and waits. Akira slides in. "No, I was opening it for your sister..."

"It's fine," I quickly assure him. I'm far too anxious around Sojiro to sit anywhere near him. Thankfully he doesn't push it, and simply closes the door. "Sheesh... Men aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat." My anxiety grows.

. . .

We pull up to a very dull looking building. The gate has a strange circular pattern to it. Other than the sign saying "Shujin Academy," there would be no real way for us to tell it is a school. Sojiro takes off his hat before he gets out.

As we walk up to the gate, I start shaking. Memories of our old school floods my mind. I grab my brother's arm, he pats my hand. Sojiro stops in front of the gate, and turns to us. "Do me a favor and behave yourselves, all right? Don't get me wrong- I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble." My grip tightens, I start to feel dizzy. Sojiro turns, and walks through the gates. Akira grabs my free hand. "I'm right here," he whispers.

With a final squeeze, I take a deep breath, and let go of him. "I know." He smiles at me, and we head through the gates.

. . .

Sojiro signs a few documents while the principal stares Akira down. For a second, I am relieved that I am not on the receiving end of "the look." Then I immeditely feel guilty for that thought. Once Sojiro reaches the last paper the principal finally speaks up.

"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitanted on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side... You might have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind." When he is done threatening Akira, he montions to the woman wearing yellow. "This is the teacher in charge of your class."

She looks up with a tired expression. "I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your student IDs." She goes on to inform us to follow the rules, and to warn us that if we break them, we're on our own. To which the principal readily agrees. It couldn't be more clear from her tone, that Ms. Kawakami doesn't like us anymore than Sojiro does.

To his credit, Sojiro shifts uncomfortably as the teacher complains in front of us. "If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to." The principal gives one more warning, before I leave the room. "Nothing's changed," I murmur solemnly. When he exits the room, my brother grabs onto _my_ arm. I pat his hand.

We're almost out of the school when Sojiro stops, and scratches his head. "They're treating you like some kinda nuisance... I guess that's what it means to have a criminal record. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go." The concern in his voice is almost enough to make me think he cares. "By the way... If you get expelled now, I won't hesitant to kick you out. Got it?" Nevermind.

"I'll be careful," Akira promises. "Hmph.. And you girl, you better keep him in check, you hear me?" I nod weakly. " **sigh** School never changes, huh...? Come on, we're going home."

. . .

On the road back to the cafe, we get stuck in vicious traffic. Sojiro becomes more and more aggravated with each minute we don't move. "Traffic's not moving at all... You two are taking the train starting tomorrow." We sit in silence for a few more moments. "...So how was it? The school, I mean. Think you can both manage?"

Akira turns to look at me. He's already exhausted. "It'll be tough," comes the quiet response. Sojiro closes his eyes, as if looking for something he can say. "Now listen up. Don't even think of doing anything stupid. Still, you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one. It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you. ...If that's what it was like in school, people might say stuff about me in the future too..."

At those last words, I put my head down on the car seat, and let the tears fall without sound.

"What troublesome kids I've take in..."

Akira leans back, and rests his head on mine. "Why did you take us in?" He doesn't bother hiding how tired he is. "I was asked to do it, and I just... happened to agree to it. I've already been paid for it too, after all." I take a shaky breath. The radio talks about a subway accident. Sojiro says something in response, but I've stopped listening.

I'm too focused on breathing to hear anything outside my own thoughts. Voices echo in my head, voices that have been accumulating over several years.

_Ms. Kurusu-san, if you had just kept your head down, this incident could have been avoided._

_You just love causing trouble don't you?_

_Do you even know how to behave?_

_How did I know that you troublemakers were at the center of this?_

_Why the school allows you to stay here is beyond me._

_If I was the principal, I would have kicked them out years ago._

_I guess_ I'm _your teacher for this year, great._

A gentle hand on my head chases the thoughts away. "We're here." I sit up slowly, wipe my eyes, sigh, and step out of the car.

. . .

The moment we enter the cafe, Sojiro starts complaining again. I head straight upstairs, ignoring both of them.

I curl up on my bed and wait for Akira to walk up. When he enters the room, I roll over and wait for him to speak. Sojiro climbs the stairs after him. I turn back around. "This is a diary, make sure you write in it. You may be under probation, but there's no special limitations on what you do in particular. Besides following the law that is." The extra comment almost makes me scream. He explains why the journal is important, gets a phone call, and leaves.

Akira sits on the end of my bed and starts writing. "I hate him." He stops.

"Shizuka-"

"He's just like everyone back home! Only thinking about himself and how we're an inconvenience to him. No consideration for our feelings, no filter on what he says. If we're so troublesome, then why did he takes us in the first place!" I chuck my pillow across the room. "It's so fuc-"

"Shizuka!"

I cross my arms and huff. Akira forces me to look at him. He's angry, and disappointed, and scared, and annoyed, and so, very, _tired._ I uncross my arms, and wrap them around him instead. "I'm sorry. I just _hate_ how everyone's looking at you. You've done nothing wrong." Akira returns the hug and hums.

"Well, at least no one's looking at you. I think I can handle a year, after you've been through ten. Just let me carry the burden for a bit." I laugh at the request. "How selfless."

We hang onto each other for a few more minutes, before Akira stands up and stretches. "Okay, we can't be late on the first day. If we get there early, we'll have more time to make friends." He winks at me, I roll my eyes. We both start laughing.

"New school, right?" My brother hands me my pillow. I nod confidently. "New school."

A phone rings downstairs. Akira rushes down to answer it. "A new school," I repeat, hugging the pillow against my chest.

"Please let that mean something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me I'm not the only one who disliked Sojiro in the beginning. Him, the principal, and Kawakami all pissed me off! No compassion from any of them. Not a word of comfort. And all the complaining. Even if they did think Akira was troublesome, they couldn't just, Not say it to his face?! God!  
> Also the fact that Akira is never really phased by it, rubbed me really wrong. How could he not care at all? Literally everyone he's talked to so far has treated him like an illness. So, I've decided that while Akira usually speaks for both of them in public settings; Shizuka expresses both of their more negative emotions in private settings.  
> Here's the basis of Shizuka's appearance, if anyone cares. http://imgur.com/pTbiFlX  
> You know the drill, and thanks for reading! ^_^


	5. 1st Blood

Unease hangs heavily in the air as we dress for school. There's no real reason to be nervous, no one at Shujin will know who we are after all. But there still lies that unspoken question. _What if everyone knows?_

The reason for our transfer is supposed to be kept secret. Only the faculty have been told about my brother's record. We both know however, that if even one teacher is anything less than tight lipped, we'll be the main topic of discussion once we arrive.

I shake my head clear of those thoughts, and focus on my hair. "Do you think I should make a bun, or a ponytail?" I turn to Akira as he fixes his jacket. He mulls over my question for a while, visualizing each look in his head. A light bulb goes off, and a sly smile curls onto his face. "Why don't you leave it down?"

The suggestion throws me off guard. I run my fingers through my hair, and feel the loose curls bounce back into place. At our old school, I had to keep my hair out of my face at all times, so everyone knew exactly where my eyes were. But I don't have to do that here. I start to feel giddy. "Down it is."

Akira nods contently. "Well, let's get going. We really can't afford to be late." I hand him his bag, grab my own, and we walk down the stairs together.

I avoid looking at Sojiro as we head for the door. "Hey, hold on a minute." I fight back the urge to keep walking.  "Oh, so you actually are going to school?" I bite my tongue, _hard._ The bearded man motions to two plates on the counter. "Here, I'll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in." Disbelief sets in my stomach. "Curry...?"

Sojiro's voice holds nothing but confusion. "What's that reaction for? Just eat it." Without another word, we sit at the counter. I wait for Akira to take a spoonful, then I pick up my own spoon. He shoots me a glance. It's delicious. I scoop up a small amount of curry, and bring it to my lips. An explosion of flavor spreeds throughout my mouth. The spices are just as intense as they smell, and still aren't overwhelming. If I wasn't pouting, I would say it's the best curry I've ever had. But I am pouting, so I settle with calling it decent.

. . .

Akira finishes the whole plate, I only get through half. By the time he puts down his spoon, we really need to go, so I leave the plate unfinished, and stand up. "It's time for you to go." I immediately head for the door, Akira smiles at Sojiro. "I'm wide awake now."

"Good. ...Hurry over to school. You'll end up late if you get lost on the way." Refusing to trust his concern, I open the cafe door and wait outside. When Akira gets outside he flips the cafe sign to open. "Traitor," I whisper once he walks past me. He flashes me a thumbs up. I stick out my tongue. We chuckle, and head off to our first day of 2nd year.

. . .

The moment we get out of the train station, we're greeted by rain. And of course we don't have umbrellas. We run under the awning of a clothing store, and share a look. "Late on the first day, this isn't good." Akira checks his GPS to see how far we have left. The eye app takes over his screen, again. We sigh in annoyed unison.

Someone else runs over to us. It's a girl in a hoodie. She brushes off some water, then pulls down her hood. We can only stare at her wavy, blonde hair. She reminds me of a model I'd seen once, but I can't put my finger on a name. She notices us looking. I turn away. Akira decides to keep staring, however. His eyes are shining. I smirk at him, but he doesn't even notice. Apparently the girl doesn't mind being looked at, because she says nothing. She does giggle though.

A car pulls up in front of us, and the window rolls down. A man in a track suit, with a comically square chin, leans towards the window. He looks straight at the blonde girl. "Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late." The girl walks over. "Um, sure. Thank you." Her tone of voice says she doesn't want to get in the car, but something about the way she walks tells me that we don't need to intervene. The man finally notices us. "Do you need a lift too?" My skin crawls. I grab Akira's arm. "Nah, we're good," he answers instantly. The car pulls away without hesitation.

As they leave, another blonde kid runs up next to us. His hair doesn't look natural, and a flash of yellow tells me he's not exactly in dress code. "Dammit... Screw that pervy teacher." Something tells me that he has a fun mouth. The kid catches Akira's interest. A surprisingly easy thing to do today. "...Pervy teacher?" A beep sounds on his phone. We ignore it. The kid turns around. His face sets into a scowl, like it's second nature. "...What do you want? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" We look at each other. "Kamoshida?" The vulgar boy raises an eyebrow. "Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida." He kicks out a foot, and his scowl grows more intense. "He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is- the king of a castle? Don't you agree?"

"The king of a castle?" Akira's phone beeps again. I'm tempted to see what it's doing, but this conversation is already making my head spin.

"No, I mean..." He glares at us. "... Wait. You don't know Kamoshida? Are you two for real?" We exchange another glance. My brother's just as confused as I am. "You two _are_ from Shujin, right?" A piece of the puzzle locks into place. Kamoshida's a teacher at our school. "You go to Shujin too?" I know it's a stupid question, he is wearing the uniform. Nevermind that he has a t-shirt on under his jacket. "What...?" Now the boy just looks amused. "No other high school's got a uniform like this."

The kid looks at the emblems on our jackets. "Second-years, huh... We're the same grade then. Never seen you before though. Oh, you're transfer students?" All amusement leaves my face, and is replaced with worry. If we tell this kid we're transfer students, will he have heard about us, or is our secret safe? Akira decides to risk it. He nods. The boy doesn't even blink. "Then no wonder you don't know him." Satisfied he drops the topic, and looks out onto the street. I silently sigh in relief. Looks like the students don't know anything.

"This rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late." When the kid turns to walk away, a hissing noise echoes in my head. A sharp pain follows. I stand dazed for a few seconds. Akira and the boy grab their heads. "Ugh, my head hurts... Dammit... I wanna go home..." The kid heads off, and we follow behind him. I look at my brother, he nods. The eye app is still on his phone. Whatever just happened, is connected to that Velvet Room thing.

. . .

We follow the blonde boy down an alley. "It's a shortcut, trust me." And we have no reason not to. As we walk, and try to avoid puddles, I can't shake off the feeling of something being wrong. Akira turns to look behind me, but there's nothing at all. "Wha...?!" We hurry over to the kid, and then we freeze.

Our eyes are greeted with the sight of a golden castle, in front of magenta clouds. The blonde checks behind us. "We didn't... come the wrong way though..." He turns back around, and blinks a few times. "Yeah, this should be right... What's goin' on here...?" He turns to Akira, and shrugs. "I guess we'll just have to go and ask." He walks right up the drawbridge. I don't need to look at my brother to know what he's thinking. This is definitely connected with the Velvet Room.

. . .

Everything after that moment happens so quickly, it feels like a movie montage.

We enter the castle/school, and get knocked out by "guards." When we come to, we find ourselves trapped in a cell. The blonde kid freaks out, we hear someone screaming in the distance, then the kid freaks out some more. Akira looks around the cell for some way to get out. Before he can find anything, however, some "guards" show up, and announce our execution. The blonde freaks out again, and then Kamoshida(?) appears. Dressed in a robe, and a speedo, and _nothing else._

He shit talks the blonde, (clearly they have some history), and continously calls himself a king. The "guards" enter our cell, and start to knock the blonde (whose last name is Sakamoto) around. Akira, being the reckless boy he is, tries to stop them, while I stand cowering in the corner. Kamoshida(?) has the "guards" hold up Sakamoto, while he smacks him around. His cries of pain shake the fear out of me, and I reach for Akira. He squeezes my hand, and we share a look. If this is all real, then we of all people can't just stand here and watch.

"Stop it!"

Our voices are louder than I expected. Either from adrenaline, or plain stupidity, I feel no fear as the creep in a cape turns to glare at us. There's no pain as the "guards" keep us pinned to the wall. A butterfly fluttering past us, convinces me that whatever we do right now, can't be wrong. And once the amused voice starts to echo in my head, I feel too invincible to think of anything except getting stronger.

_It is about time my dearest. I wondered if thou wished to be protected for all thine life. Does it not pain thee to hide behind thy younger kin? Doth thou not wish for the power to protect, instead of being the one constantly protected?_

"Of course I do." A mask forms over my face. Feathers tickle my brow. A shockwave knocks the "guards" to the ground. In a panic Kamoshida(?) runs out of the cell.

_Yes! It pleases me to see thee find thine resolve. Let us delay thy debut no further. I am thou, thou art I. Thou must shed thy disguise, and let thine true self shine ever more._

Without fear of pain, I rip the mask off of my face, and let light envelope me. I can feel a rush of energy flow through me. When the light subsides, I turn to the shadow beside me. An elegant, shakespearean figure is at my side. Her dress, a shimmer of gold and black, her cape bellows in a nonexistent wind, and white feathers line her shoulders. In her left hand is a flute, and in her right is a quill pen. I look to Akira, and smile at the feathered figure by his side. His companion introduces itself as Arsene, my own partner names herself Viola. They ask us each if we truly want the power to escape our situation. We of course, say yes.

Kamoshida(?) regains his composure, and tells his "guards" to attack us. The tin creatures melt into the floor, and bubble back up as jack-o-lantern, ghost, things. I reach for the longsword I somehow know is at my waist, and get ready to attack. Akira pulls out a pair of knives and runs at a "guard." I take the other. Some primal part of me takes over. I charge with reckless abandon, and Cleave the ghost in two.

Once they're defeated I take a breath, and compose myself. It's only once I look at my brother, that I notice our clothing has changed. Akira's wearing all black. Black pants, black vest, black boots, long black coat, and red gloves. He has a white mask with black trim around the eyes. I look down at myself. I'm also wearing mostly black. Black pants with a gold belt, black tail coat with a gold collar and gold buttons, brown oxfords, and a white turtleneck undershirt. I don't have gloves, but my nails have been painted black. I like it.

Kamoshida(?) charges back into the cell, so Sakamoto tackles him to the ground. We run out of the cell and lock the door. The next few mintues are a mad dash around what must be a dungeon. We weave through cells, jump over rivers, and climb an impossibly long staircase. Right when we hit another deadend, a voice calls out to us.

It's a cat monster.

It promises to help us escape in exchange for freeing it. With "guards" closing in on us we have no choice but to agree. It calls itself Morgana, and we follow it out. A "guard" gets in our way as we cross a bridge. The cat creature leads us into battle, and reveals his shadow figure, Zorro. I can't help but smile at the macho sword swinger that forms behind him. A jack-o-lantern, and a demon with a long, thing, form. The battle doesn't last long as 3v2.

Afterwards Morgana tries to take the time to explain the situation. The blonde kid (who finally tells us that his name is Ryuji), gets impaitent, and cuts the lesson short. The cat hands us some medicine, and we start running again. We end up having to leave through a ventilation shaft. The cat decides to stay behind, so we give our thanks and leave without a look back.

. . .

We pop up in the middle of a street. Akira's phone welcomes us back into the real world. Ryuji freaks out, again, causing some cops to approach us. Akira snatches my hand from behind him, and squeezes. I squeeze back just as hard. Suddenly, I become acutely aware of the fact that we were likely in that castle for _hours._ Ryuji instantly get an attitude, and starts talking about the castle. I want to be anywhere other than where we're standing.

The cops turn to us. "Are you two his friends?" I squeeze harder. "Something like that." Akira's voice is a soft murmur. Ryuji gets even more angry, and the cop threatens to call the school. I can feel myself start to lose balance. "Let's get going." Akira turns and leads me as far away from the officers as we can get, ignoring the frantic blonde behind us. He pulls me into an alley, and I try to catch my breath.

"What time is it?"

"..."

"Akira."

"...It's about lunchtime right now."

My knees give out.

At that moment Ryuji rounds the corner. "Dude, what's the big- Whoa, are you okay?!" He starts for me, but Akira keeps him back. "Don't crowd her." His voice has more edge than he intended it to. Ryuji stays back, and growls in frustration. "None of this shit makes sense! Where the hell were we?!"

As the blonde vents, I try to calm my breathing, and block out any and all thoughts. My leg starts shaking, my vision goes blurry, and I can't hear anything. Akira clenches and unclenches the hand holding mine. He uses his free hand to play with my hair. After a few moments, my breathing slows, and I can see again. I force myself to stand up, and lock eyes with my brother. He's just as scared. "Okay," I croak out. He lets go of me, and pats my back. By this point, Ryuji's looking on in silence.

"A-are you good?" I chuckle, and nod. "We should try not to be even more late." My leg is still shaking, but I make myself walk.

School already looks like it's going to be a rollercoaster. I'll have to remember to keep my hands and feet inside the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy! That was a rush!  
> You don't know how fun it was to design Shizuka's Persona. I made her otherself Viola, from Shakespeare's play, 12th Night. http://imgur.com/ipE4sIC  
> In the play, Viola disguises herself as a man, and uses her musical prowess to get in favor with the local Duke, Orsino. She falls in love with him, while Orsino is in love with Countess Olivia. Olivia, meanwhile, falls in love with Cesario, Viola's male disguise. Then to add to the fun, Viola's twin brother, Sebastian appears. Sebastian was thought to have died in a shipwreck, and him and Viola look exactly the same. It all somehow works out in the end, with Olivia marrying Sebastian, and Orsino marrying Viola.  
> Shizuka's thief outfit is designed after Cesario.  
> http://imgur.com/VuU0JPE Her mask is in Viola's picture.  
> While Akira's true personality (aka Joker) is that of a cocky, lovable, asshole; I hope you'll find that Shizuka's true self is quite different from her brother.  
> You know the drill, and thanks for reading!


	6. 1st Impressions

I focus completely on the act of walking. Putting one foot in front of the other consumes all of my concentration. I empty my mind of everything except walking.

It doesn't last long.

As my leg stops shaking, and I finally calm down, I am again bombarded with invasive thoughts. We just left a shadow world, ruled by a teacher wearing a speedo, who wanted to kill us. We had to rip masks off our faces, in order for our inner selves to give us the power to break free. A talking cat monster had to guide us to a ventilation shaft so we could escape. Yet somehow, the fact that we are half a day late to school, is the most terrifying fact of the day. Try as I might, I can't shake off the panic that bubbles up in my mind.

 _Half a day late. We're half a_ day  _late._

 _They said if we caused_ any  _problems, we'd be expelled._

_Does being late count as a problem?_

_Is it all over before it even started?!_

_Sojiro's gonna kick us out once we get home!_

"Shizuka!"

Akira voices pulls me out of my own thoughts. I'm gripping his arm as hard as I can. My nails have dug into his jacket. I've almost broke skin.

I jerk my hand back, hang my head even lower, and fall two steps behind him. Ryuji clears his throat from beside me. I almost forget not to look at him. "Hey, you okay? You look kinda pale..." I smile weakly. "Yeah, the whole castle thing was just, a little jarring." The blonde nods, satisfied with my lie. When we turn the corner, Ryuji runs foward. We walk up to the school gate, and stop.

"Is this for real...?" Ryuji turns in every direction. "I'm sure we came the same way... What's goin' on here...?"'

Like a ninja, one of the faculty rounds the corner to confront us. "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. We received a call from the police." I, thankfully, go numb and don't react at all to the following conversation. Though I do pick up bits and pieces. Ryuji gets mad, the faculty member gets madder. Kamoshida joins the conversation, because _of course_ he does, and mentions something about track. Ryuji flares up, so the facutly man threatens him. Kamoshida makes them both calm down, then turns his attention to us. His gaze makes me wholly uncomfortable, but he doesn't seem to know anything about us being at his castle. He turns to leave, says something that sounds less than genuine, and walks back inside.

Akira faces me, and leans in to whisper. "Shizuka, you need to relax your shoulders." I do as he says, and suddenly I feel lighter. I blink a few times, take a deep breath, and shake my hands. The world seems to get brighter as I force the tension from my body. "Better?" I look into my brother's eyes. He's scared of walking into the building behind him. He wants be anywhere other than where we are. But so long as I'm a nervous wreck, he's determined to be strong enough for both of us. Spurred on by his resolve, I give him the most sincere smile I can. "Better."

. . .

The moment we walk through the main doors, a hush seems to settle over the hallway. Every student avoids eye contact with us. A glance at Akira tells me he's waiting for it too. He's holding his breath, daring someone, anyone, to be the first. A group of three girls unknowingly volunteers.

"So that's him? That's the guy with the criminal record?"

_The first of the gossip._

Akira sighs. A disappointed, painful, resigned sigh. Ryuji gave us false hope. He didn't blink at us being transfer students, but he's the only one. _Everyone else already knows._ My brother walks through the hall silently, fists clenched, eyes on the floor. I stay behind him to block out the stares that follow his back. Somehow I keep my composure as I pick up each rumor that passes us.

"...You think that's them?"

"Huh? The ones in the rumors...?"

"So, they're the transfer students people were talking about online..."

"That transfer student's gotten involved in all sorts of shady things, right?"

"Is that his sister? They look exactly the same..."

"I bet she's just as bad as her brother."

"What if you get wrapped up in something because of them? It's probably best to stay away."

"I hear he hides a bunch of dangerous stuff in his bag..."

"Drinking, smoking, theft... I hear this guy's done it all."

When we enter the faculty room, I half expect the teachers to be gossiping too. Akira approaches Ms. Kawakami while I hang by the door. He makes up something about the train being late, on top of us getting lost. She doesn't buy it, but lets it go anyway.

"More importantly. I heard that you were caught along with  _that_ Sakamoto-kun?" My brother flickers his eyes towards me for just a second. His interest has peeked. "'That' Sakamoto...?" The teacher only shakes her head. "Don't get involved with him, OK? He's nothing but trouble." Ms. Kawakami murmurs something else, but I'm too far away to hear it. She picks her head up to look at the clock. "...Anyway. Break's almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I'll have you two introduce yourselves when class resumes." She stands up and stretches. "Follow me."

. . .

Halfway to the classroom Ms. Kawakami stops to address us. "By the way, when you introduce yourselves... Be serious about it even if you're lying to the class, OK? Do NOT say anything unnecessary." We nod and keep walking. At this point I can feel myself reverting back to my old attitude. School is school is school. I just need to act the same as I always have. Don't make eye contact. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't bother trying to make friends. Akira looks at me when we reach the door. Through his eyes I can see my own gloss over. He frowns, but says nothing. "Alright, here we go."

When the door opens the room goes silent. Ms. Kawakami walks in first, we follow. A muffled gasp resounds across the room as we stand in front of the board. The gossip begins immediately.

"Being super late on their first day? He really is insane..."

"He looks normal though... His sister too."

"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye..."

Ms. Kawakami can only sigh. "Settle down." The room goes quiet again. "Well, I'd like to introduce our transfer students: Shizuka and Akira Kurusu. Today we... had them attend from the afternoon on since they weren't feeling well. Alright, please say something to the class." We bow in sync, "nice to meet you." The air grows even more tense.

"Anyone else creeped out?"

"He seems quiet... but I bet when he loses it..."

"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right...?"

"Who's to say his sister isn't the same?"

"They look the same, but would they really act the same...?"

"But, if she's not a bad person, why would she transfer with him?"

Even Ms. Kawakami becomes uncomfortable. "...Uh, so... Your seats will be... Hmm... Over there in the back. The two that are open. Sorry, but can the people nearby please share your textbooks with them for today?" A girl in the back groans a little too loudly. "This sucks..." I turn my head toward her. She looks away.

As we shuffle to our seats, I notice the blonde girl from earlier today. She seems to be staring at us. I wish I could stare back. "...Lies," She whispers. "Huh?" Akira responses before he can stop himself. The blonde looks away, so we keep walking. I take the seat behind the girl, my brother sits behind me. As far away from everyone else as he can get, with me as a barrier. That doesn't stop the gossip, however.

"...Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?"

"Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?"

"That means she's cheating on him with Mr. Kamoshida."

"Then again, this is Takamaki-san we're talking about..."

"For real. That side of the room is totally awful."

I risk looking the brown-haired girl in the eyes. She stops talking.

To lighten the mood, our yellow wearing teacher finally speaks up. I'm not paying attention, but her tone is nothing if not nervous. A boy with short blue hair stands up, and class _finally_ begins.

. . .

Once the bell rings, Akira and I are out of our seats, and out of the room, before anyone can work up the nerve to approach us. The hallway warps and in front of us is a mixture of a school, and the castle we escaped this morning. My brother tries to shake his head clear, while I blink rapidly. Ms. Kawakami calls out to us. "Hm? What's wrong?"

Our confusion outweighs common sense, we can only ask, "is this a school?" Realization hits me, and I squeeze Akira's arm. " **sigh** Are you sure you're OK?" The teacher hesitates, shifting from foot to foot. She scratches her head. "Also... it seems like people are already talking talking about you, but I'm not the one who told them. I can't even catch a break... Why do I have to deal with this?" That last part almost makes me walk away. "You two should head straight home without stopping anywhere. Sakura-san sounded pretty angry." I look away, suddenly guilty. From the corner of my eye I see blonde hair walking towards us. "Oh, and about Sakamoto-kun. Don't get involved-"

I suppress a smirk as Ryuji joins the conversation. "Speak of the devil... What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today." The blonde sneers and hangs his head. "Ugh... It was nothin'." Ms. Kawakami puts a hand on her hip, like a scolding mother. "And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either..." He hangs his head lower. "Sorry 'bout that." Ryuji walks up to Akira, murmurs something, and leaves. Our teacher groans. "See? That's why I don't want you getting involved. Understood?" She walks towards the faculty room, shoulders slouched.

Before I can ask my brother what Ryuji wanted, the principal walks up the stairs with Kamoshida. The way they talk about us, it almost feels like they know we're behind them. Once they've left Akira starts walking. I follow in silence, and try to ignore the gossip.

We stop at the door to the roof. Memories from 6th grade flood my mind. Akira says nothing. He simply waits. I force down my fear and nod. My brother's right next to me, I'll be fine.

. . .

Ryuji's already leaning back in a chair when we approach him. He seems conflicted. This morning he knew nothing about why we're here. It wouldn't surprise me if he's heard the rumors by now. "..There you are. Sorry for callin' you up here like this." He scoffs lightly. "I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like 'don't get involved with him,' huh?" I relax enough to sit on a desk, Akira leans on the one next to me. "How'd you know?" The blonde sighs. "Figured as much. Then again, we're in the same boat." Akira raises a brow. "I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so gutsy." Relief washes over me. Of course he doesn't care. My brother turns to me in shock. I chuckled without knowing it.

Suddenly serious, Ryjui leans in. "...What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle... It wasn't a dream... right? You both remember it too, yeah?" We nod, "yeah."

"Well, just 'cause we all remember it doesn't mean much though... I mean, even if it was a dream, you two saved me from Kamoshida." Ryuji smiles at us. "So yeah... Thanks, Akira, Shizuka." I'm too stunned to answer. A thank you, was the last thing I expected to ever hear again. People always tell me to go away, to stay out of their business. They tell me they could have handled it themselves, even when we both know they couldn't. Yet here is this kid we just met, saying "thanks" like it's easiest thing to do. Akira pats my shoulder. "It was nothing."

"But man, that Kamoshida we saw there... You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him." I shudder. "Kamoshida..." Just hearing his name again makes me uncomfortable. "No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that... I wonder if we can go back to that castle again..."

The thought catches my interest. It would be great if we could go back and experience that rush power again. But I'd prefer not to see that pink speedo again. Ryuji jolts up in annoyance.

"Ugh, forget it. Must've all been a dream! It has to be!" Remembering we're still here, Ryuji flashes an apologetic smile. "Sorry to drag you two out here like this. That's all I had to say." Then his smile gets wider. "You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we're going to get along just fine as 'troublemakers.' I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. I'll come talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all right?" Akira nods, smirk plastered on his face. Ryuji returns the expression. "Seeya," and off he goes.

"...He's pretty chill."

"Total bad boy appearance."

"Bet he's a teddy bear."

"You see how he walked?"

"Yeah, that didn't heal properly."

"So...friend material?"

"Friend material."

We look at each other, hold a long silence, and finally laugh. Who would've guessed having just _one_ person _not_ treat us like dirt would be so liberating?

. . .

We arrive back at Leblanc without incident. Dread hangs over me as my brother opens the door to the cafe. Sojiro whips around, glare at the ready, when we walk in. "Hey, I got an interesting call from your school today. It's only your first day and you're already showing up hours late?" Akira rubs his neck as he fails to hold his ground. "It was an accident." Sojiro only glares harder. "Yeah, that's what everyone says. Look, just behave yourselves. Your lives are forfeit if anything happens. You understand the meaning of probation, right?" I hold my tongue as Akira returns to his passive self. "I do." The older man lessens his glare. "Ok then." He looks like he has more to say, but his phone goes off. I reach for Akira, but he shakes off my hand, and glances at me. He's okay, just tired.

"Hey what's up? ...Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll be there in half an hour." As if he somehow forgot he was yelling at us, Sojiro shoots us a look. "Hey, what're you standing around for? Go hurry on up to bed." I don't need to be told twice. Before he's done speaking I'm already at the stairs.

. . .

Akira takes a minute to follow behind me. He collaspes on his bed with an exaggerated sigh. "Okay is this the part where we figure out what the _hell_ happened?" I hum in response, already reviewing the day. "Well, let's look at what we know."

"The Velvet Room was a real thing that happened."

"It's connected to the eye app."

"I'm guessing the app is what took us to that castle?"

"So that was also real. But the Kamoshida in the castle isn't the same as the real one."

"Maybe it's symbolic? The castle is how he truly looks at the world, or something like that."

"I think we'd have to go back and ask that cat monster about it."

"We could try it."

"Think we should get Ryuji in on it?"

"I'm sure he'd want to join in."

We share a smirk at how casually the blonde has entered our safe space. But saving someone's life tends to do that. Before we can keep speculating, my phone goes off. A genuine smile spreads onto my face.

"It's mom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> A special scene from the game has kicked my writer's block off a cliff. I am so estatic to write it and I can't wait for you to read it! But I have to go through everything else first, so the next week or so will be a mad dash to get to that scene before I lose my creativity again.  
> . . .  
> What to say about Ryuji? From a gamer's perspective, I hate that kid. He's loud, and doesn't know when to shut up, and remember when he yelled out loud, in a very public restaurant, that he was a Phantom Thief? Yeah, that sealed his fate for me real quick. I refused to use him in fights, and I actually only got to rank 7 of his social link. And I only got that far because Instant Kill is such a useful ability, otherwise I would've stopped at like, rank 3. Unpopular opinion I know. Most people love this kid, and they love shipping him with Akira. I get it, I respect it, it's just not my cup of tea.  
> That being said, from a writer's perspective, this boy is a dream. His characterization is easy to mimic, his speech is unique, and he's a walking "explain the thing to me, and thus the audience," plot device. Even past that, he works so smoothly with my version of Akira, I actually want to put him in as many scenes as possible.  
> . . .  
> Let me end that rant there before the fandom tries to change my heart. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking such a long break. School finally ended and I just needed to sleep.  
> I hope you remember the drill, and thanks for reading!


	7. This Brief Intermission is Brought to You By: Parents Who Actually Care!

Akira sits up in bed as I answer the call and turn on speaker phone.

"Hey mom!"

 _"Hi Shizuka!"_  Comes the bubbly reply. _"Is your brother with you?"_

"Of course."

_"Hi Akira! I wanted to give you time to settle in, how are you feeling?"_

We groan in unison.

 _"It's that bad already? I'm sorry."_ Her voice is thick with guilt.

"No it's not your fault it's just, somehow everyone at school already knows."

_"What?! They promised it would stay a secret! **Tsk** Can't trust anyone's word these days. Here I thought you two could make lots of friends."_

We exchange a glance. "Well there is one boy..."

 _"Oh, a boy, huh?"_ The sparkles in her eyes are almost audible.  _"Do tell."_

"Not like that," Akira sighs. I roll my eyes at him. "Really? Those pink cheeks aren't very convincing." My brother shoots me a look of pure murder, my smile only gets wider.

_"Really, I was right?! I want details!"_

Akira snatches my phone and tries to keep his face from actually turning red. "Mom, please, it's not like that. We only met him today. Plus he's not my type." I giggle, he flips me off.

_"Oh alright. But really, what type of boy is he? Wait no, let me guess. Blonde hair, bad attitude, pierced ears, a 'troublemaker,' just like you. How'd I do?"_

"Yes, kinda, no, and yes. Two and a half out of four."

_"Oh, failing grade! Well, hold on to him, bad boys are the best you know!"_

"You're biased, of course you'd say that."

 _"I only speak the truth."_ The sound of a door opening echoes through the speaker.  _"I'm home!"_

_"Oh welcome home dear! I have the kids on the phone."_

_"Hey Akira, Shizuka! How are you?"_

"We're alive."

_"That's all I can ask for."_

_"Honey, listen to this. The students all know about Akira's record."_

_"Seriously?! Do I need to go down there?"_

"No dad! Please, it's okay, really."

_"You sure? Promise this won't affect anything?"_

"Yeah dad, our grades will be fine. We have plenty of time to study and-"

_"I don't care about your grades! You know what I'm talking about."_

A silence settles over the three of them as they wait for me to answer. I look to Akira, he shakes his head.

"I don't know. It's not any worse than home, so I'm sure I'll manage."

_"..."_

"Dad, we had no choice."

_" ~~~~ **sigh** I know, and that's what I need to talk to you two about. At home, with everything that happened, of course I never wanted to say anything. But you two aren't home anymore, and outside of school no one really knows you, so you'd have no trouble there. What I'm trying to say is... I want you kids to work on being more independent."_

We inhale sharply.

_"Sweetheart..."_

_"I know, I'm asking for a lot after so many years. But this dependency on each other isn't healthy. I'm not asking for anything drastic, I just want you to try."_

I fight the urge to hang on to my brother. He waits for me to speak. "What exactly are you asking?"

_"I'll set up a different goal every month, and I want you to try your hardest to reach it. If you fall short that's okay, so long as you really try."_

I swallow past the lump in my throat. My hand starts to shake, my foot goes numb. I force myself to stand apart from Akira. He frowns at me. "Okay, I'll try."

_"Thank you. The goal this month, is to spend an uninterrupted hour apart. As in, 'completely different areas' apart not, 'one room away' apart."_

_"Dear, that might be too much."_

_"You think so? Alright, half an hour. Can you try that?"_

My mouth goes dry at the thought. So much as ten minutes in different rooms is too much most of the time. I can't imagine me becoming that comfortable within a month. But deep in my heart I know that I should try. I know that this can't go on forever. "Okay," I croak out, "I'll try."

_"Thank you sweetie."_

_"Alright, enough of that Mr. Strict! They should be going to sleep right now."_

_"You're right, I'm sorry. We'll call you again next week. Stay safe."_

"You too."

**beep**

"A whole half hour," I murmur. I try to keep up my resolve, but Akira makes the first move. He pulls me into a hug, and I melt into it instantly. "Shizuka, don't hurt yourself." When he lets go my hand goes still and my foot regains feeling. "I know, but dad is right." He stretches. "Yeah, but there's point working ourselves into a worry right now. We'll take it slowly." I can't help but smile. "You three treat me so well." My brother offers a smirk. "Should we be cruel instead?" I scoff. "Perish the thought." I fight a fit of laughter as exhaustion finally washes over me.

"It's gotten pretty late already."

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"Fun huh? I guess so."

"Alright, sleep, sleep!"

"G'night."

"Night."

. . .

The sound of even breathing calms the rest of my nerves. "Half an hour," I whisper to the darkness. "That's such a long time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I love the "Akira's asshole parents are the reason he's so selfless" trope, I think the boy deserves a good family once in a fanfic.  
> I hope the sugary sweetness of the twins' mom will help counter act the sob fests that are to come. Plus guess who they get their sass from :p Dad's there not exactly as a "straight man," but more like the closet thing to a "voice of reason" the family has. I would say he's a "tough guy," but he's not. So, a "tougher guy compared to everyone else," will have to suffice.  
> I'm not sure how many of these intermissions I'll make, especially in the middle of the story, but it should be fairly frequent. At least twice per palace.  
> I wonder, how long will it take their parents to figure out who the Phantom Thieves are? Will they ever find out? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  
> You know the drill, and thanks for reading!


	8. Wisdom, Action, Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M FINALLY BACK!  
> My summer was shit. College is also shit. That's all I'm saying. But life has finally given me some time to breathe, and so I can finally write again. Take this really long chapter as my apology, as well as the one that's coming up right after this. I can't promise that I'm back for good, but for now, I'm going to pre-write as much as I can, just in case.

The sound of jingling jolts me awake. It takes me a moment to process the scenery, as the Velvet Room blurs into focus. Justine nods to me, I return the gesture.

Form across the room Caroline starts banging on Akira's cell. "...About time you've come to. On your feet, Inmates!" The calmness of Justine's voice is even more soothing in contrast to her sister's pitchy whining. "Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sakes that you take his words to heart." Without missing a beat Igor begins another confusing speech. "First off, let us celebrate our reunion. Oh...? You've awakened to your powers. And special ones at that. Your joint rehabilitation can finally begin." We share a look. This is our chance to learn what happened at that castle. "Our powers?" I pray that Igor feels like explaining himself this time. "There is no need to understand it all for the time being." He does not.

"You two will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a 'mask' -- an armor of the heart when confronting wordly matters. I have high expectations for you two." That doesn't sound ominous at all. "What do you mean?" Again, he brushes off our question. "There is no need to worry. You will learn when the time comes. The long nosed man raises his eyebrows, as if just remembering a minor detail. "By the by... Have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces."

"Metaverse Navigator...?"

"...I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as thieves."

"The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, Inmates!"

"Devote yourself to your training so that you may become fine thieves."

"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as most excellent thieves..."

A familiar bell goes off. "Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have..."

At Caroline's words the room goes dark.

. . .

Akira snaps up from bed, I refuse to move. My head is pounding, my heartbeat is slow, and it hurts to breath.

"What is happening to us?"

"Who even knows?"

I sit up with a groan, and try to process. "Okay, so I'm guessing that Metawhatever is the eye app. Those creatures we summoned were Personas. Rehabilitation still doesn't make any sense, and now he's telling us to become thieves? I don't know. We need more info, and he refuses to give it."

"I guess we really do need to go back to that castle."

"I guess. . ."

We dress in silence and head for school.

. . .

We make it to the circular gate without incident. No castles, no guards, no men in speedos. "Definitely that Metawhatsit," I murmur to no one. Akira goes in first, I stay close behind him. We keep our heads down and say nothing, as we speed walk to our classroom.

"Oh, they're on time today."

"Those two are eerily quiet..."

"They creep me out."

"I can totally see where he got his record from."

. . .

Classes go by quickly as each teacher introduces themself, and then dives right into their lesson. We didn't seem to miss much of anything yesterday.

"Hey, new kids." Akira and I are both startled into attention. Halfway through the day and someone finally decides to call on us. "The boy, let's see what you know." All eyes rest on my brother, like a pack of wolves waiting to attack. "The Greek philosopher Plato divided the human soul into three parts. A soul is composed of appetite, spirit, and what else?" I hold myself back from rolling my eyes. All day the teachers have been going over things we'd learned last year. This was no different.

"Logic," came the unhesitant reply. The teacher, Mr. Ushimaru, allows himself to smile. "Correct. So you knew that, huh?" He turns back to the rest of the class. "Plato's teacher, Socrates, said that evil is born from ignorance. People who've been babied, taught that evil is due to individuality, can only become society's scum." Satisfied (and a little proud) that Akira remembered the answer, I tap his leg from behind me. My good mood doesn't last long.

"Wow, he got it right... Is he really a delinquent?"

"He seems like a punk, but maybe he's actually serious about studying?"

Mr. Ushimaru's voice cuts through the gossip. "Bizarre incidents have been occurring frequently. Those are but the actions of such scum. We don't need crude people like that in our school." His gaze focuses intensely onto Akira. "Understood?" The girl next to me snickers. I force myself to look out the window.

. . .

Again the last bell rings, and again we book it out of the classroom. I take a deep, steadying breath, and lean against the lockers. Akira stands in front of me, faking nonchalance. I can't help but smile at his strength. A flash of red enters my view, as Takamaki walks out of the classroom. Like he was waiting for her, Kamoshida walks up the stairs in the same moment.

"Hey there, Takamaki." He has a fake smile plastered to his face. I shudder unconsciously. "You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents." The blonde in red shifts uncomfortably. She keeps her eyes to the ground. "Sorry, I have a photo shoot today. It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it..." There's a crack in the coach's smile, but he keeps up his facade. "Hey, now... Being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone." I shudder again. "You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?" If she really had that, she'd be in the hospital twisting in pain.

I look at Akira, who looks ready to intercept. My hand's on his shoulder in an instant. He wants to protest, but I hold my ground. "He wouldn't do anything with so many students around." Reluctantly my brother relents.

"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. That's why I asked you out in the first place." I gag, Akira clicks his tongue. "Oh, and... be careful around those transfer students. The boy's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you..." Takamaki looks ready to start running. "... Thank you. Please excuse me." And with that, she walks of, just a bit too fast. I start to regret holding Akira back. Kamoshida holds his smile until the blonde rounds a corner. Once she does, his face falls into a full scowl. "Tch..." He walks up the stairs, fists clenched in anger. A horrible feeling settles into my gut, but I don't think it'd be right to follow after her. I look to Akira. He nods. We'll leave it alone for now, but it'd be good to watch her more closely.

. . .

Once we exit the school, I allow myself to sigh. Ryuji calls out to us from beyond the gate. "Yo." I try not to flinch. "What's up?" The blonde does a quick scan of the area, then crosses his arm. "I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday. I tried tellin' myself it was all dream... But I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened." The scowl is back on his face. "It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what." I can hear the determination in his voice.  "And y'know, you two are the only people I can rely on for this stuff."

The profoundness of that sentence catches me so far off guard, that I surpass shock and settle on it feeling simply expected.

"So, you in?" A feeling of mirth and mischief bubbles up in me. I smirk. "Sure. What's next?" Both boys look at me in surprise. Akira doesn't say anything. Ryuji returns my smile. "Ooh... Looks like I managed to talk some sense into you. I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday." I pull out my phone. Realization flashes onto Akira's face, he stops Ryuji before he walks off. "Actually, we think we figured it out already." I show him the eye app. "It showed up on our phone two days ago. We can't get rid of it, but it was on when we met you yesterday." I think back to Igor's words from the night before. "Actually, can you check your phone?"

"My phone?" He whips out his cell and starts to scroll. "Why would that thing be on- Oh, I _do_ have it!" He looks up and smirks, "let's try usin' it." I can hear the mischief in his voice. Akira shifts on his feet, a little nervous. "I dunno about this." Ryuji's smirk only gets wider. "Why? All we're doin' is startin' an app." He taps his phone before my brother can protest any further. A lady's voice sounds off. "Kamoshida... Shujun Academy... Pervert... Castle... Beginning navigation." Akira sighs, still nervous, but ready to go. "There we go!" Ryuji's excitement becomes contagious, and I squeeze my brother's hand in anticipation. The world starts to glow red, and becomes the only thing I can focus on. The blonde next to me is saying something that only sounds muffled at this point. Time stops as reality itself twists and turns. I watch my body wiggle in a way that shouldn't be possible, but I feel nothing other than a tingle.

. . .

Time again hits fast-forward as we reenter the Metawhatnot.

We run up to the castle, and then notice that our clothes have changed back to the costumes from last time. As Ryuji denies his jealous, the cat mons- Morgana, comes around the corner. He explains that the school turned into a castle because Kamoshida thinks of it as one. Ryuji doesn't understand, Morgana insults him, and then someone starts screaming. Apparently the slaves in this castle are actually students from the school. This, of course, angers Ryuji; who decides he want to find out exactly where the screams are coming from. Morgana agrees to take him on the condition that Akira and I go with him. We say okay, and head off, entering the castle the same way we left. And so we follow Morgana through the castle.

We stop at the main entrance, and watch as reality flickers between the castle and the school. Morgana teaches Akira how to sneak attack, which proves to be an instant improvement from last time. When we reach the prison areas, the slaves are nowhere to be found, so Ryuji runs off ahead to find them. We hear a lot of guards approaching, so Morgana leads us into a special room. He explains that whatever distortion turned the school into a castle is weak in some places, so no one can enter the room except for us. Ryuji still doesn't understand. Morgana tries to explain once more, and states that he calls these distortions Palaces. Once our scowling blonde finally figures out what's going on, he gets even angrier. Morgana drops the subject, and brings up our outfits.

He tells us that in order to fight distortion, one must hold the "will of rebellion," and so our outfits reflect how we think a rebel looks. I look at my brother's outfit more closely and laugh. "Really? You honestly think of a dark magician when you think rebel?" Akira hides his blush behind a scowl. "Hey, look who's talking!" I scoff at him. "How rude, I am clearly a gentleman thief!" He raises a brow at that. "... You're dressed like a guy?" I smile sheepishly. "...Yes?" Ryuji, growls in frustration. "Enough with the clothes, I wanna know what's up with you!"

Morgana insists that he's a human, and explains that he (probably) lost his true form. He's determined to return back to normal, which is why he came to this Palace in the first place. Before we head back out, Ryuji surprises all of us by revealing the toy gun he brought with him. With that we head to the training hall the guards mentioned. Although the gun should be useless, Morgana demonstrates that so long as our enemies think the gun is real, it will actually hurt them. After the cat fails to make Ryuji understand, he tells Akira to take the lead during fights, so we can stay coordinated, while he will continue to provide information. I have no objections, so my brother accepts the role of "leader."

Right before we enter the training hall, Morgana teaches us how to hit an enemy's weak point and stun them, which gives us the time to string together a flurry of attacks he calls an All-out Attack. When we finally enter the training hall (of love?), we're greeted by cries of pain, and the sight of students in jerseys being beaten. Ryuji gets mad again and tries to open the cell, but some slaves tell him not to. Morgana tries to explain that these people aren't real, so getting them out is pointless. He goes on to lament that their treatment here, means they go through similar abuse in the real world. Once Ryuji finally understands, he realizes that the students are members of the volleyball team.

He tries to take pictures of them as evidence, but his camera won't work. We check our phones, and sure enough, they don't work. Morgana tries to rush us out of the room, but Ryuji stops him so he can memorize the students faces. I manage to hide my shock that his memory would be that good. We go from cell to cell as Ryuji commits each face to memory, Morgana fretting close behind us. When he finishes we book it to the main entrance. We must of spent too much time there, because Kamoshida(?) stands waiting for us with some advanced looking guards.

He taunts Ryuji, and brings up some mistake he made that ended the track team. The blonde falls for it, and almost seems to shrink in front of us. The guards charge us, and for all of our new tactics, they're not enough to take them down. We end up on the ground, and while my injuries don't exactly hurt, I don't have the strength to stand. Kamoshida(?) steps on Morgana, and fixes his gaze on me. Some guards pin Akira and me down. Mr. Speedo continues to taunt Ryuji, and the blonde watches on helplessly. They talk as if the rest of us aren't present. Kamoshida(?) mentions how he used to supervise track. Ryuji weakly rebukes that all he did was abuse them. The naked man goes on to imply that he not only broke Ryuji's leg, but also got the old coach fired. It all comes together in a painful resolution. Our scowling blonde becomes too distraught to fight back. Pissed off at the situation, I call out to Ryuji at the same time Akira does.

"Don't let him win!"

"Stand up for yourself!"

He thankfully takes strength in our words. Enough strength to stand up, call Kamoshida(?) out, and awaken his own Persona. The way he writhes in agony makes me think that maybe his transformation went wrong, but after the skull forms on his face, I relax, and start smirking. He rips off his mask, to reveal a pirate skeleton on a ship. His outfit resembles a biker gang uniform, but with bones. The shock-wave knocks the guards off us, and we can finally stand. Ryuji's Captain Kidd is fast enough to get in the first hit, and the fighting is smooth sailing from there. After the fight Kamoshida(?) calls over a figure from the shadows. They step forwards to reveal the blonde haired girl from school, dressed in a bikini. I fight the urge to barf. Kamoshida(?) taunts us, again, and calls more guards. We take the chance to escape.

When we get back to the entrance, we stop to catch our breaths. Ryuji finally notices his own outfit, I can't help but tease him about it. "You look like a thug," I quip with a smirk. "What the hell?! I-It's a much better look than your magician-lookin' one!" Somehow, despite almost dying a few minutes ago, I feel completely relaxed. Morgana tries to explain how personas work to Ryuji, again. The blonde stops trying, then realizes we have to face Kamoshida in the real world. Morgana assures him that the real Kamoshida has no knowledge of what happens here. Before Ryuji can make any other plans, the cat proposes a deal with us. Something about mementos, but Ryuji stops him and points out we never agreed to help him with anything. Morgana turns to Akira and me, and tries to guilt trip us into listening to him. My brother looks at me, I shake my head. I'd rather not have to keep fighting like this. "We never promised." Before the black cat can talk us into anything, we run away, back to reality.

. . .

Ryuji's phone welcomes us back to the real world, as we take the time to process what's happened. The blonde turns to us timidly. "I dragged you two around a lot, huh? ... Sorry, guys. Ugh, I'm dead tired, how you holdin' up?" I leaned on Akira's shoulder, "I could use a nap." My brother nods his agreement, Ryuji chuckles tiredly. "Me too... Man, I'm gonna sleep like a rock when I get home." His face lights up. "But damn, if what we saw was real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done." I smile sadly at the blonde's optimism. "So... wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?" I sigh and steel myself. "Ryuji, I'm not sure this is a good idea." I can feel Akira's silence beside me. "Huh? What do you mean?" I rub my arm, and keep my voice steady. "People who get abused, usually won't admit to it without definitive proof. They want a guarantee that giving you information will get them help. Otherwise, most would rather take their chances. You can't exactly show them proof of something not from this world." The question is right in front of me, hovering in the air, waiting to be asked.

_How do you know so much about that?_

"Hmm. I see your point, but I still want to try. I just don't feel right not trying to help, ya know?"

Of course he doesn't ask. I try, really really try, not to giggle, but I can't hold it in. I snort first, then I giggle, and giggle, and giggle, until I'm holding my sides, fighting desperately to stop the stream of laughter pouring from my mouth. When I finally calm down, I have to keep my head down to hide my blush. "Sorry." I clear my throat and let Akira talk for me. "I think that's a yes from her. I'll definitely help." Ryuji is gracious enough to pretend my fit didn't happen. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Realization crosses the blonde's face, and he lowers his head. "Hey, so... If you're thinkin' of layin' low 'cause of your record, I don't think that'll help... Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal."

"How'd that happen?" The fire comes back to Ryuji's voice as his scowl returns. "Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!" It shouldn't be surprising at this point, but the sting won't go away. "Seriously?" Ryuji scoffs, "no one else besides a teacher could've leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club; that asshole just wreaks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me...!" His face drops again, "no one'll take anything I say seriously. Still those rumors about him gettin' physical might be real. And after seein' Kamoshida's distorted-heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!" Akira and I smile at that. "Of course." Ryuji flashes a huge smile in response. "I'm counting on you two! Don't worry; I have enough hype for all of us!" As if to express it's own agreement, Ryuji's stomach starts to growl. "Oh... Right. I haven't eaten anything since lunch. It'd be weird splittn' off now, so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?" As I nod my approval, a thought pops into my head.

_You already know so much about this kid, maybe he'd be okay with **that**._

I freeze, time slows, and I weigh my options. Possibilities wash over me too fast for me to truly process. What if it freaks him out? What if he stops talking to me? What if he tells others?  **What if it turns into my old school all over again?** But, what if he's fine with it? What if he thinks it's cool? What if nothing happens? He's the type of guy to not ask prying questions. Clearly it's because he's been through it himself. But does that mean he'd be okay with it, or completely against it? What even makes me think I know him well enough to be having these thoughts in the first place?!

Before I get lost in evaluating my self worth, Akira taps my shoulder, and brings me back into reality. "Shizuka? We're following Ryuji to a restaurant." I give him a thumbs up and let my feet carry me forward, while I debate whether or not to even mention it. My brother has me hang back a little, as Ryuji hums to himself.

"Did you hear what he said?"

"No."

"He said he wanted to hear about our past."

My eyes go wide.

"How much do we tell him?"

"I assume he just wants to know why I have a record."

"But that doesn't tell him anything about me."

"We could vaguely explain why we don't talk about it."

"..."

"Shizuka?"

I take a deep breath. "I want to try the thing."

Akira goes silent, and turns away from me.

"Well at least let me know what you're thinking!"

"I don't know. I feel like we can trust him, but this is bigger than, anything else that's happened so far."

"But he's a chill dude."

"But what's his limit?"

"So you think I shouldn't?"

"... I think you should ask him first."

'... Okay."

"Here we are!" Ryuji's voice makes us jump slightly. When we recollect ourselves, we look up at the Ramen Shop in front of us.

. . .

And so, halfway through our noodles, Akira finishes telling the story of his arrest. Ryuji's outrage couldn't be clearer. "WHAT?! The hell, man! How much shittier can that asshole get?!" Akira shrugs off the concern with a, "I'm still eating." Ryuji visibly shrinks back into his seat. "Oh. My bad." He proceeds to shove ramen into his mouth, as he recollects the story. "So... you two left your hometown, and... you're livin' here now, huh?" With that over with, we all go back to our bowls. The blonde lowers his. "We might be more alike than I originally thought." I can see it. "You might be right." Ryuji chuckles, "you're the first guy that made me think that. I guess it's how we're both treated like a pain the ass by the people around us, like we don't belong. I did something stupid at school before, too." He finishes his bowl, and sets it down.

"The place you're livin' now is in, Yongen... right? It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before headin' home." The blonde looks down at Akira's bowl, and put his scowl back on. "What the hell, man. You barely touched your food." He adds ginger to the bowl. I hide my smile. Akira looks over reluctantly. "I can do that myself." Ryuji chuckles, "just lemme do it. I gotta thank you for helpin' me. Anyways, I got your back like you got mine from tomorrow on. As long as we something about Kamoshida, I'm sure we'll all feel better about bein' at school." He almost jumps out of his chair as he gets an idea. "Oh, yeah!" He whips out his phone. "Tell me your numbers. Chat IDs too." We silently exchange information.

When Ryuji looks back up, he's in determined mode. "Just you wait, Kamoshida... We're gonna start right away tomorrow. First let's hit up those guys that were kept as slaves. The volleyball rally's tomorrow, huh? Shit's recommended by Kamoshida. Makes me wanna gag. But thanks to that, we got no classes in the afternoon, and we can go around unnoticed. Well, I guess we can work out the details tomorrow..." He looks at the bowl again. "C'mon, you gotta eat more. There's tons of ginger here." As Ryuji adds even more ginger, I start to laugh. "Hmm? What's so funny?" I look over at Akira, who is slowly inching the bowl away from him. "Akira hates ginger."

"What?! Dude, why didn't you say anything?!"

"It was too late already..."

As I force myself to stop laughing, the desire to ask overwhelms me. I look to Akira, then to Ryuji, back to Akira. My brother nods, and we both steel ourselves.

"Ryuji."

"Yeah?"

"Could I... look you in the eyes?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus, this chapter is looooooooong. I know I said it would be, but, look at all that text. That's a lot of text.  
> We're almost there, the part where I get to stop hiding the secret no one cared about in the first place! Yay!  
> You'd think I'd have more to say, but nope, I'm drawing a blank. This is it.  
> There is no way I caught all the grammar/spelling mistakes in here, so if you find one, please let me know. Also feedback, feedback, feedback. Please and thank you!


	9. Windows to the Soul

Ryuji sits silently for a few seconds, until I realize his confusion. "Oh, yeah, that wouldn't make sense to you, huh? Um, how do I explain this? Akira, help me out." I pass the baton to my brother, who's managing to stay calmer than me. "Hmm... Ryuji, do you believe in psychics?" The blonde blinks a few times. "What, like those people who can see the future and read minds?" We nod. "Nah, man, everyone knows that's stuff's all fake." I nervously tug at my hair. "Well, that makes this harder." Ryuji couldn't look more confused if he tried. I become acutely aware of how public an area we're in. "Um, could we go outside for this? It's getting kinda crowded." We pay for our meal and head out.

I lead us to an alleyway and take a deep breath. I turn to Ryuji, mentally prepared. "So, you probably won't believe me, but I am what you'd call a psychic." Instead of laughing, or shutting me down, the blonde just waits, seriously considering my words. "I guess you could call it mind reading, but it's more complicated than that. I don't fully understand it myself. Basically, when I lock eyes with someone, I can see their memories. Or rather, I experience their past. It's uh, hard to explain. Like, in that moment, I _am_ you. I see through your eyes, exactly what you saw, I hear what you heard, feel what you felt. It happened a lot on accident, back home, which never ended well. So this time, I wanted you to know exactly what's going on. And give you the option to not let me do it. We just met and all, I understand if the thought makes you uncomfortable. I just, felt I could trust you not to freak out if it did happen. So, um, yeah."

There's silence, pin-drop silence, for an uncountable amount of time. Whether seconds, minutes, hours have pass, I don't know. I don't want to know. I'm vaguely aware that Akira went off somewhere, but for once, I don't care where he's going. "Damn," is the word that finally breaks the silence. "I don't really know what to say to all that. I mean, why would you _wanna_ know someone that personally?" I manage to shrug. "At this point, it doesn't matter if I want to or not. I'm going to make eye contact with you, and other people, _eventually_ ; I might as well get it out of the way now." The blonde in front of me shifts uncomfortably. "You said you'd feel what I felt? I dunno how okay I am with that..." I force a smile. "It's fine, I was just letting you know it's an option, don't push yourself."

"Sorry." I begin to actually smile. "Nothing to apologize for, I know it's weird, don't- Ah, I guess 'don't worry about it' doesn't work here, huh?" Akira comes back into the alleyway, three sodas in hand. I blindly reach for one as I think of a not awkward way to change the topic. "We should probably start heading home. Sakura-san will get suspicious." I check my phone. "Yikes, it is getting pretty late." I turn to Ryuji, eyes still glued to the floor. "We'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He nods readily. "Yeah, see ya."

. . .

When we get back to Yongen Jaya, Akira finally turns to look at me. "That could've gone way worse." I rolls my eyes on protocol.

"I shouldn't have said anything."

"Too late now."

"That makes me feel _so_ much better."

"It should."

"... Let's just drop it."

We walk into Leblanc to find Sakura-san sitting at the counter. His head snaps up as the door rings, almost like he was waiting for us.

"... You're home. I take it you actually went to school today?" Too tired to care about the quip, I simply nod. Akira, however, seems to be feeling more riled up than usual. "What do you think?" The bearded man sits up straight at that. "I'm the one asking questions here. Eh, as long as you're not getting into trouble, it's fine by me. I don't know what you've been up to, but trust me, you'll be gone if you start causing problems. In case you forget, your life is not a free one right now." At that moment, both of our phones go off. Ryuji started a group chat with us.

**Ryuji: Hey, I decided to go ahead and message you guys. Can you see this?**

**Akira: Yep.**

**Shizuka: Nope.**

**Ryuji: You SO can! I'm gonna be counting on you both tomorrow, okay?**

**Shizuka: Got it.**

**Akira: What about?**

**Ryuji: C'mon, stop playing dumb... We've come this far, so you gotta stick with me to the end. Let's save those guys who've been getting abused. All of us together.**

Sakura-san's sighing brings us back to attention. "Sheesh, are you even listening to me? Just stay away from bad influences, OK?" We nod and move to head upstairs. The moment we move, the aproned man stands up. "Hey, I'm gonna head home for the night. I'll lock the store up. Don't go wandering out." We nod again, and continue on our way. When we get upstairs, our phones go off once more.

**Ryuji: And Shizuka, I'll think on that memory thing.**

**Shizuka: Really, it's okay.**

**Ryuji: Nah man, that was clearly important to you. I'll think on it.**

**Shizuka: Alright.**

Some swirl of emotions I can't place bubbles up. I throw myself on my bed, and take a deep interest in the plant behind the ladder.

"Like I said."

"... Yeah. Just, talk about anything else."

"So, today was crazy."

"Yep."

"Ryuji's outfit was pretty cool."

"Mm-hm."

"I'm kinda curious about what Morgana wanted."

"Great."

"If you want me to stop talking just say it."

"I don't care if you talk, I'm just not really listening."

" **sigh** In the morning?"

"In the morning."

"That's fair."

"Night."

"Night... wait, at least change!"

"Don't wanna~"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this ended very anticlimactically. *shrugs*  
> Hooray to creepy eye problems!  
> When I first started making Shizuka, I thought, "how can I make her unique? I want her to _not_ be a wild card, that's Akira's thing, it stays his, end of story. So what cool power could his sister have? I could make her, like, a mind reader or something. But would that even work in this univer- Chihaya, haha!" The precedent she set was a blessing. Anything related to psychic powers was instantly green-lighted.  
>  Shizuka and Chihaya's backstories are pretty similar, but I think I added enough variation to keep things interesting. Maybe I'll have them bond over their experiences. Maybe.  
> I think I messed up. I've made Ryuji too much of a good guy. . . I'm starting to ship him with Shizuka. It's not gonna happen! There's just, a lot of good chemistry there. *concerned humming*  
> Anywho, I hope you remember the drill, and thanks for reading!


	10. Scouting

Before I hear the chains, smell the stale air, or even open my eyes, I know where we are. On instinct I jump from the bed and turn to the cell bars. A haze settles over my mind, as I struggle to stay present in the situation. I'm numb, and cold, and breathing is difficult, and was the air here always so heavy? I look past the twins, over at Igor, and something about his smile holds a sinister aura I know I'll never be able to place. "Welcome to the Velvet Room." His greeting would make me shiver, if I wasn't so subconsciously scared to move.

"I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you." Igor's grin seems to grow bigger, as impossible as that should be. "What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustom to this place?" My inner voice tells me that I shouldn't dare say no. "Yeah," comes the simultaneous response. This time, the long nosed man's smile actually does get bigger. "Ah, glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel. Your rehabilitation determines if ruin can be stopped. Yet, such a feat cannot be done by you two alone. But, today you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, haven't you?" The face of a scowling, blonde fool comes to mind. "You mean Ryuji?" The deep voiced man just blinks, and moves on.

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well." An eyebrow raises. "That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be out of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong." A band of misfits, huh? I forget my fear enough to smirk at the thought. "The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you two mature as well." Our twin jailers stand a little straighter at that.

Thankfully, it's Justine who speaks first. "Personas are the strength of the heart... The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain." Sadly, Caroline has to speak after. "There are countless people in the city who have talents that weaklings like you don't. You better rack those noggins of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power."

Igor closes him eyes, as if amused. "Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambitions will not come to fruition." As if on command, we nod in agreement. " **chuckle** We have a deal then." His words are laced with expectations. Unlike most cases, however, his expectations are not uncomfortable or unwelcome. I still have no idea what he expects of us, but all the same, I don't want to let him down. "Well, you will understand it all in due time... Continue devoting yourselves to your rehabilitation."

With a ring of the bell, and more shouting from Caroline, the conversation ends, and-

. . .

We wake up.

"..."

"..."

"So... that happened."

"Uh-huh."

"Should we even bother?"

"I don't think so."

"Cool."

"Yep."

. . .

The trip to school is peppered with murmured complaints about the rally. I share a knowing smile with Akira each time. Guess we're not the only people who don't like Kamoshida. The whole school is so abuzz with talk of volleyball, that everyone seems to forget they're supposed to be gossiping about us. Even our class, thankfully, ignores our presence. "OK, listen up everyone. As you all know, today is the volleyball rally. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed. Got it?" With that, we're dismissed as quickly as we arrived. I walk with my brother until the stairs, and stop. "Wait, why are we changing? We're not part of the rally." Akira shrugs and keeps walking.

"Maybe they'll take volunteers from the audience."

"God, I hope not."

"Well Kamoshida wouldn't pick a girl."

"How do you know? Maybe he's into that kind of thing."

"That's... pretty likely actually. Good luck with that."

"Oh hell no, you're the athletic one. You have fun."

"Shizuka."

"Huh?"

It takes me a moment to realize that we've stopped in front of the boy's locker room. I spin around and head off to the girl's without a word, trying to hide my embarrassment. I don't even have time to hope no one noticed.

_Of course they did._

"Did you see that?"

"Was she... about to go in there. Like it was perfectly normal?"

"Then... they probably do that at home too."

"Gross, no siblings should be _that_ close."

I drown out the rest of the whispering as I change in silence. But once I hear the collective gasp, I can't ignore them anymore.

"Oh, my, god."

"Her legs look horrible, what happened?"

"Someone had to cause that."

"What if... it was her brother?"

My blood goes cold.

"Well, he does have that record..."

"How horrible, so he's forcing her to stay by his side?"

"We should tell a teacher."

Before  _I_ know what's happening, I slam my locker door, and whip my head around. At the very last second I remember to keep my eyes down, and storm out of the room before I punch someone. "Shut the **fuck** up," I manage to growl before the door swings closed. Realizing, far too late what I've just done, I bite my tongue and force myself to breath.

I don't need to look Akira in the eye to know that he knows what I've done. "Shizuka-" I cut him off and try not to shake. "I know. I know and I'm sorry. But they saw my legs." He inhales sharply. "They saw my legs, and then they started to assume that it was your fault, and they were going to tell a teacher. And I know it would be easy to explain to a teacher what happened, but it would be too late, because the rumor would be out there. And I wasn't going to let them add _that_ onto everything else that's happened and-" This time he cuts me off with a sad smile. "Sorry, and thanks." I wipe away the tears I just noticed have formed. "You don't have to apologize, you idiot." With a laugh, it's all forgiven, and we head to the gym.

. . .

The rally goes about as well as I expected. The teacher team is crushing the student team, with Kamoshida being the star of the event. The audience is split with the girls on one side and the guys on the other. I try my hardest to sit as far away from everyone else as I can. From the daggers I feel on my back, it's obvious they won't be forgetting my little outburst anytime soon. I keep my eyes focused on across the room, where I'm having a staring contest with my brother. He blinks first.

I'm about to stick my tongue out in celebration, when I hear a particularly loud thud of the ball, and the impact that comes after. I turn around in time to see a kid from our class (Mishima I believe?) collapse onto the floor. Though I can't see his face, a smug aura seems to radiate off the square chinned man, just for a second, before he puts his facade back on, and plays the concerned teacher. Then, as if he didn't just likely knock a kid out, Kamoshida has the game keep going. Ryuji takes that as his signal to leave the room, and so we go with him.

. . .

The scowling blonde rants all the way to the courtyard. "That asshole's actin' like a king over here too... Get to know each other better, my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego. And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag...!" When we reach the vending machines, his face drops. "...Well, anyways. Those rumors just keep comin', huh? I hear you almost beat someone up in the locker room, Shizuka?" I hid my face in my hands and groan. "They were talking shit about Akira so I lost my temper. But I did _not_ attack anyone." He nods understandingly, and drops the subject.

"Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday. Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole." I shuffle my feet. "I'm warning you now, the chances of someone admitting anything are gonna be low." Ryuji nods, but I'm fairly certain he's not actually listening. "...The first guy that popped out was a guy from Class D, so let's start from there. That's your class. Hopefully you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately, so... Oh, but you're both kinda in the same boat, huh."

. . .

The victim search, also goes as well as I expected. The team members are all clearly being beaten, but none of them will tell us anything about it. Maybe they would have been willing to listen to the pleas of a cute girl, if news of my "violent tendencies" hadn't spread around school already. It also doesn't help that the usual rumors are getting even more ridiculous, which makes me even more agitated.

"I heard that anyone who makes eye contact with him has to be sent to the hospital..."

"I heard he pulls out knives on people without any warning. This guy is a loose cannon."

"I feel like, if you eye him for too long, he'll just punch you out..."

"I heard that the transfer student is real hot-headed, and gets into fights all the time."

"Make sure you stay away from that guy. You never know when he might knife you."

"I heard he does drugs.. How much worse can you get?"

"Someone told me he's killed before..."

This time, I manage to stay relatively calm. By the end of our search, all we know is that Mishima's been getting more abuse than most. We text our lack of findings to Ryuji, then head back to the courtyard. As we wait for the unnatural blonde, we're visited by a natural blonde. "Can I talk to you two for a sec...?" Even in the standard gym uniform, Takamaki still stands out like a beacon. "What is it?" I can feel her gaze look me over. "It'll be quick." And then shift attention to my brother. "Anyway, what's with you guys? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all. ...There's those weird rumors about you too." I look over at Akira, who's deciding what is and isn't safe to share. Luckily, we don't have to bother, because the other blonde shows up just in time.

"Whaddya want with them?" Though there's a tenseness in the air, the two blondes act completely comfortable around each other. "Right back at you. You're not even in our class." Ryuji sighs, like he's done this all before, and is too tired to get started again. "...We just happened to get to know each other." I'm beginning to get whiplash, trying to keep up with their conversation.

"What are you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?"

"Huh?! ...I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!"

"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away."

"Behind my back...? What's that supposed to mean...?"

Ryuji looks to us for approval. I shake my head. It's way too soon to know if she's trustworthy. "You wouldn't get it."

"Anyway, people are already talking about you three. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you. I'm warning you, just in case. That's all." And with that, she struts off.

"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time...?" My curiosity gets the better of me. "You know her?" He shrugs. "We just went to the same middle school. Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you two? Did anything like, someone's name turn up?" We tell him about Mishima's supposed "special coaching." With no other leads, we head to the front gate to catch him before he goes home.

We reach Mishima just in time. At first he responds just like the others, deflecting our questions, treating us like we're crazy, justifying the chin man's actions. Right when it seems we might get him to open up, Kamoshida appears,  _because of course he does,_ and bullies Mishima into going to practice. Ryuji just  _has_ to say something, which Kamoshida  _has_ to respond to in kind, and then he  _has_ to drag Akira into it. Which leads Akira to make his usual snide remark, and at this point I've stopped listening. I only tune back in when the coach leaves. Mishima tells us not to bother, because everyone already knows, they just don't care. He rubs some salt into Ryuji's old wounds, and then runs off.

I told you so, is right on the tip of my tongue, but I decide to swallow it back down. "What now?" He turns to me, deflated. "...I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's... all I can do." The blonde turns away from us, scratching his head. "Sorry for dragging you on a goose chase." Slowly, he makes his way towards the locker rooms. I look to Akira, he shrugs.

"You did warn him."

"Yeah, that doesn't make it any better."

. . .

We take our time getting home, as we process the events of the day. The moment we step into the cafe, Sojiro stands up and leaves. All three of us seem too tired to say anything to each other. Wanting to delay our nightly visit to the dream prison, Akira and I stay up as long as we can, playing co-op games on our phones, and trash talking each other's gaming abilities. Despite the heaviness of the day, when I finally go to sleep, it's with a smile on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting pumped again! There is now 1 in game day left for me to write about, before I get to post that one part I should have posted months ago!  
> In other good news (for me), I've reached a point where I'm comfortable not regurgitating word for word everything that's happening in the game. Maybe now everything can go faster! (It prolly won't, but I can dream.)  
> Going back through the story, there are so many Ryuji/Ann moments that I missed somehow. (insert light-bulb) I just got an idea, hehehehe.  
> Well that's all from me, you know the drill, and thanks for reading!


	11. The Catalyst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? This story's still active?!  
> Why yes, yes it is. I'm not going to commit to any type of timeline, just know that I will finish this story.  
> No matter how long that takes.
> 
> Also TRIGGER WARNING for near the end of this chapter. Implied sexual assault in the second to last section (denoted by the [. . .] in between paragraphs), so please skip it if you need to, you won't miss any vital information.

Surprisingly, when I open my eyes, I am greeted not with metal chains, but instead with dusty rafters. I check the time on my phone to make sure it's actually morning, which it is. I notice that Ryuji sent a message, that we somehow completely ignored yesterday. I chuck my pillow at my brother, who wakes up with a yelp. "We missed some texts." With a grunt, Akira sits up and lazily reaches for his glasses.

**Ryuji: Hey, this doesn't make any damn sense. The principal and even the parents know about the abuse. Why ain't anybody speaking up?!**

**Ryuji: What did you guys fall asleep or something?**

**Ryuji: I guess so. See ya tomorrow.**

**Shizuka: Sorry, we just saw these now.**

**Ryuji: No problem. So, whatcha think?**

**Akira: Because volleyball.**

**Ryuji: So cause he made the team famous, everyone's turning a blind eye? That ain't a good excuse! He still shouldn't be able to do whatever he wants! He's beating kids up, and all they're allowed to do is endure. And that follower of his doesn't give one single shit...**

**Akira: What follower?**

**Ryuji: Ann Takamaki, you met her in the courtyard, remember? You should know her, I mean she's in your class.**

**Ryuji: Ugh! What a load of bull!**

**Ryuji: I can't let it end like this. I'm gonna try and find someone who knows about what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow. Just you watch. I ain't giving up!**

**Shizuka: Do you even know how to?**

**Ryuji: Nope, see ya two at school!**

Something about the blonde's blind optimism puts a smile on my face. "Well, there are worse ways to start a day." My brother chuckles in agreement, and we get ready with an air of hopefulness surrounding us.

. . .

For once, we make it to school and through the morning without incident. Even when Ryuji starts texting us in class, nothing bad happens.

**Ryuji: So about witnesses... I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki.**

**Shizuka: Since she's with Kamoshida?**

**Ryuji: No, that ain't why. Just here me out.**

**Ryuji: You know how we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team? I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them. Takamaki's BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui. I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing. That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her.**

**Ryuji: Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us... Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with.**

We agree to meet in the courtyard and put our phones away, just in time for the teacher to call on us. "Alright Shizuka, let's see if you're as on top of things as your brother there."

. . .

With the whole school abuzz from yesterday's rally, Akira and I feel safe enough to keep our heads up while walking through the hallway. It's only thanks to this that I see her. Standing in front of the door to the courtyard, is a short girl with black hair. She has wraps on her wrists, and a brace on her right leg. The leg with the brace hovers slightly above the floor, as if putting pressure on it would be a grave mistake. There are faded bruises on her legs, arms, and a very recent bruise over her left eye. When I look into the bit of her eye that I can see, I have to reach for my brother to stop myself from gasping aloud.

The brown is clouded over. There is no sparkle, no gleam, no light of life; only a shine. A shine of sadness, emptiness, resignation, that sits heavily over her clouded glaze. Her eyes, are eyes I would never confuse, mistake, or miss. Eyes of one desperate to escape a poor situation, that they know they can't change. In my staring, I forget to look away when she turns to us. Thankfully she looks at my brother, giving me time to recollect myself.

"...What? Oh... I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..." The softness of her voice makes my heart hurt. I try to smile as sincerely as I can. "Don't worry about it." The black haired girl turns to leave, grimacing ever so slightly. Akira nods to her leg. "Are you hurt?" Suddenly defensive, she stands a little straighter and adjusts her sleeves. Clearly, this is Suzui-San. "Huh...? Um, well..." Slowly, the brown eyed girl looks us over. "Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be the transfer students from Class D?" We both nod.

As if remembering a memory, she grabs her arm. "Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, OK...?" Startled by the concern, my brother starts to tug at his hair. "Why do you say that...?" More comfortable with the conversation, Suzui-San looks Akira in the eye. "Well, I've helped with a similar situation before... My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks..." Realizing the time, the shorter girl shrinks back into herself. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice... I'll see you around." She can limps away before we can say anything else.

With a shudder, I snap myself out of my somber mood, and let go of my brother's arm. "Do you think she'll be okay?" I shrug in response. "That depends on what we can do with Kamoshida." Resolve bubbles up in both of us as we open the door.

. . .

We find Ryuji in front of the vending machines, scowling per usual. He doesn't have any more leads than we do, which is to saw, we all have nothing. For minutes we stand in our corner, reaching for any possible answers we can think of. Our brainstorming is interrupted by a familiar voice. Morgana appears in front of us, looking like a normal cat, having left the Palace to hunt us down. Before he can tell us what he wants, we have to move to the roof, as some of the teachers are starting to look for him.

The ca- Morgana explains that we can make Kamoshida let go of his desires, if we make his castle disappear. When it's gone, he'll feel guilty over his action, and confess his crimes himself. It seems too good to be true, and of course it is. If we go through with this, we run of risk of making Kamoshida shut down. To the point where he might even die. None of like this guy, but death is permanent. The results seem too severe of a risk. Disappointed, Morgana leaves, giving us more time to figure out what to do. This new information puts a weight over us. Even more conflicted than before, we decide to go home for now.

. . .

Once we reach Station Square, a familiar flash of red catches my attention. "Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..." Takamaki is on the phone. We almost walk away and give her some privacy, but it quickly becomes clear that she's fighting with Kamoshida. The call ends abruptly, after Suzui-San is brought up. The natural blonde squats on the floor, tears in her eyes. A look is exchanged, before we approach the blue-eyed girl. "Are you alright?" Startled, she jumps up.

"Wait... were you listening?" There's no point in lying, so we tell her straight. Ann starts to yell at us, but soon loses the will to be mad. We offer to help, but she deflects as tears well up again. She runs away and, not about to leave her alone, we follow. Akira catches up first, and helps her calm down. I push us all into a restaurant to talk.

After a bit of coaxing, Takamaki admits that she doesn't like Kamoshida anymore than we do. He's been trying to blackmail her into a relationship, threatening Suzui's position on the team. For the sake of her friend, she's been playing along, but it's clear the blonde's at her limit. Under the table, I squeeze Akira's hand in anger, and he squeezes right back. Feeling visibly lighter, Ann turns the topic on us. "Are you two really as bad as the rumors says...? You just don't seem like it..."

With identical smirks, we lean in and scoff. "What are you talking about, we're bad to the bone." Chuckling, the blonde shakes her head. "Is that supposed to be a joke? I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations." Her smile turns sad. "You seemed lonely-almost like you two didn't belong anywhere... We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you guys."

A mutual understanding hangs in the air, as we sip our waters in silence. Ann starts thinking on Suzui and Kamoshida, wishing he'd just forget about her. The look in Akira's eyes hurt. We could fix all of this, but that weight stays with us. _Does he truly deserve death?_ The blonde thanks us for listening, and heads home. A few minutes later we follow suit, hearts still heavy.

. . .

The moment we walk into Leblanc, I block out Sojiro, and wait for the sign that it's okay to go upstairs. "Hey, girl." A bit shocked that I'm being acknowledged, I look straight at cafe owner, and away again, just barely not locking eyes. "You got a package from home." After blinking a few times, I gingerly take the box from him. "And try not to get back so damn late next time, understood?" We nod on cue, and head upstairs. Before I can even sent the box down, my phone goes off. While I open my package I glance at my phone from time to time.

**Ryuji: So, whaddya think about what Morgana told us?**

**Ryuji: I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires... And Kamoshida's gonna turn like, brain dead if we mess up, right?**

**Ryuji: I mean, sure I'm pissed at him... But I dunno if I really wanna kill he guy...**

**Akira: Yeah, that's too much.**

**Ryuji: For sure. I mean, maybe I'm just freaking out, but I don't wanna end up a murderer cause of this shit.**

**Ryuji: Oh well... I'll try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight.**

Absentmindedly, I reach in, and touch smooth metal. What I pull out is an old flute, recently cleaned and peppered with tiny scratches. My face lights up instantly as I bring the delicate instrument to my lips, and lightly blow. A soft F floats into the room, sounding just like it always has. "Wait, they sent your flute? I thought you brought that with you." I set it on the table and pull out the box with our clothes. "I brought the case, but I had left the flute in the kitchen on accident. I figured once they found it, they would send it over, and they did." With on exaggerated groan, my little brother plops onto his bed. "And here I thought I'd actually get to sleep!" At those words, I can't help but jump up and grab the slender instrument. Before I can blow into it however, Akira starts fake screaming and throws his pillow at me. Laughing, we run around the room as he tries to take my flute.

"Let me sleep damn it!"

"You're not allowed to sleep!"

"Since when?!"

"Right now!"

"That's bullshit!"

For the rest of the night, we forget about the shitty situation we've been thrown into, and just act silly.

. . .

Realizing we were spared from the Velvet Room again, I sigh in relief once I wake up. I feel happy for some reason, and decide to let Akira sleep in a little. When I finish getting dressed, I pick up my flute, and play my favorite wake up song. After groaning for a whole minute, and failing to hit me with his phone, my brother finally rises. Satisfied, I pack my flute into its case, and then my case into my bag, and head downstairs to wait. Sojiro glares at me from the counter, likely finding my music annoying. "Hey, Shizuka." I look over as acknowledgement. "What song was that?" Suddenly embarrassed at the attention, I stutter. "Oh w-well, I wrote it, but I never really gave it a name, so..." The bearded man grunts and turns to the TV. Akira taps my shoulder at that moment, and we hurry out of the cafe. "Traitor," he mutters at me. "Oh shut up."

. . .

As we walk into school, a pair of girls start talking about Suzui-San in front of us.

"I can't believe Suzui-Senpai missed such an important meeting. I wonder what happened." Anxiety sets in. "Mr. Kamoshida asked to see her..." My blood goes cold. "You know, I've been hearing rumors about how Mr. Kamoshida and Suzui-Senpai stay late... She always shows up to meetings though. It's weird she wasn't at the one yesterday..." My brother turns to me, teeth clenched. "Let's see what Ann has to say first, it could be nothing." Neither of us believe my words, but he agrees anyway.

We wait for the blonde outside of our classroom, ignoring the stares and concerned whispers. I stand straight at the telltale flash of red. Ann waves at us and smiles. "Morning." We nod in response. "Have you heard from Suzui-San?" The smile melts away. "She texted me yesterday, saying she wasn't feeling well, so she probably isn't here. I asked if it was Kamoshida, but she never responded." Dread settles in my gut, but I force myself to stay positive. "It's probably best for her to stay home, get some rest." Reassured, Ann relaxes, and we all step inside.

. . .

Class drones on, calming my nerves somewhat. I try to convince myself that I'm overreacting. "Have you guys made up your mind?" Morgana's voice pops up behind me. It takes all I have not to yelp. My phone's in my hand not a second later.

**Shizuka: Is the cat in your desk?!**

**Akira: Somehow.**

"No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me."

"Don't talk."

"Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?"

My heartbeat spikes as I try to act as confused as everyone else.

"M-Meow!"

"Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby...? Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!" Before I can catch my breath, my phone goes off.

**Ryuji: It's no use... I can't think of any other way...**

**Shizuka: Concentrate on class.**

**Ryuji: I can't deal with that shit right now. I mean, what're we gonna do about Kamoshida? Do we just gotta go along with what that cat says? Urgh, that damn furball...**

"If he only knew I'm reading this too..."

My temptation to turn around is broken by the sound of someone standing up. I look across the room, out the windows in the hallway. 

When I see it, the world goes dark. My breathing slows. My heart stops. Suzui Shiho is climbing the rooftop fence.  _She's going to jump._ I don't think or dare speak. I'm out of my desk with a hand on the door, before Akira can turn around to look at me. By the time the teacher calls my name, I'm halfway down the stairwell. I skip steps as I sprint, vaguely aware I could trip at any moment. I allow myself only one thought once I open the door to the Courtyard: **Please make it.**

I hop over the railing, and find Suzui, right before she falls over the edge. 

 

The world goes silent as time slows. 

 

The only sound is my rapid heartbeat. 

 

If I run, I know I won't make it. 

 

I propel myself backward, and _pray_.

 

Suzui lands back first into my arms, and I brace for impact. 

 

When I hit the ground, time springs back to normal. I'm barely aware of the sickening crack of my head when it bounces off the floor. The air has been knocked out of my lungs, but I don't try to breath. Suzui bolts up, shocked. Her legs give out right after. Tears stream down her face, as the realization of what she just attempted hits her like a truck. I sit up slowly, and finally take a breath. The adrenaline wears off, leaving me shaking like a leaf. I look up and _I need to know_. I lock desperate grey eyes with overwhelmed brown ones. 

Time slows all the way to a stop. 

. . . 

_I pause in front of the door and take a deep breath. I know how this goes, I've been called out before, but... Mishima seemed more nervous than usual, and Kamoshida did seem on edge this morning. I steel myself the best I can and open the door. "Mr. Kamoshida, you called for me?" He's sitting at his desk like normal, focused on paperwork. Maybe everything's fine. "Suzui, lock the door." Or not. I turn around slowly and bolt the door with shaking fingers. I should be used to this by now. I take another breath and- A hand wraps around my mouth, my arms are pinned behind me. Terrified, I try to squirm out of his grasp. This isn't normal, this isn't normal! He picks me up and shakes me. "If you scream I will break both your arms, do you understand?"_

_I can't stop my tears as I nod. What's going to happen?! His smile is twisted, and vicious. It sends a chill through my spine. "That best friend of yours sure is a stubborn." Ann? "Won't even accept a harmless little date. It's like she forgot our deal. I guess she doesn't care about you as much as she says, huh?" My eyes go wide. As soon as Ann gave Kamoshida her number, I was moved up to the regular team... She did that, for me? "Since she can't seem to hold up her end, I figured you be be able to make up the slack yourself, right?"_ No. _I shake my head vigorously and kick my legs. He picks me up again, and punches me in the gut. I can't breath, and the tears won't stop flowing._

 _"_ _Just relax, it'll be over soon."_

. . . 

Time resumes, and I can't stop my own tears. Suzui doesn't look away. She's horrified. She's relieved. She's confused. She's exhausted. 

"W... why? Why... would you... catch me?" 

I muster up every ounce of courage in my soul, to give her the most reassuring smile I can. "Because... I wish someone had caught me." 

The shaken girl before me is somehow able to smile. Her consciousness fades as her own adrenaline wears off. Like the ninja he is, Akira reaches us just in time to catch Suzui. Ann is close behind, Ryuji's behind her. 

As if a spell has been broken, students begin to pour into the courtyard. Teachers are shouting from every direction, phone flashes pepper the scene, that obnoxious shutter noise echoes in the background. Without a word Akira, Ryuji and I kneel over Suzui's fainted form, shielding her from the dozens of cameras. Ann can only look on in stunned silence. Finally, the sounds of an ambulance siren can be heard from the distance. 

"Shiho... why?" The blonde joins our protective bubble, tears welling up in her eyes. I can't stay silent any longer. "It was Kamoshida," I whisper. While I know the other two are listening, I speak only to my brother. "I saw it. He made Mishima call her into the PE office after school yesterday. Then he... he's a man filled with lust, you can figure out the rest." Ann starts to cry, Ryuji curses under his breath, Akira stays silent. His eyes scream murder. I don't tell him no. 

The paramedics arrive with a stretcher. The natural blonde insists on going with her friend, and no disagrees. As they drive off, Ryuji snaps, and runs straight for Kamoshida. Akira goes after him, not necessarily to calm him down. Too dizzy for quick movements, I don't bother following them. Instead I head for the nurse's office, and try to ignore how the world is spinning around me. I'm vaguely aware of the students scrambling to get out of my way. The air holds tones of awe, relief, and admiration. The students will be singing songs of my bravery by this time tomorrow. It makes me feel even sicker. 

I slide open the door, fumble over to a bed, set myself down as gingerly as possible, and let the darkness drag me under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man what a dozy.  
> I always felt horrible about what Shiho went through, and I hated the fact that no one, NO ONE tries to stop/save her. They all just watch it happen, even Akira, and we all know he's not that kind of guy. So, I changed it.  
> Shizuka might be out for a while. She'll be fine though. I mean, you sleep on a concussion, right? *looks it up* Phew, safe.  
> Anywhooooo thanks for reading!


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